MANTECA - Eighteen-year-old Katie Ellefson received a new puppy Saturday, but not just any puppy.

Ellefson received an 8-week old golden Labrador named Gonzalo. She will love it and care for it. She will teach it to sit and stay. Then she will give it away.

Ellefson was one of 12 volunteers who received puppies from Guide Dogs for the Blind, a guide dog school based in San Rafael. The puppies were distributed Saturday in Manteca.

The volunteers will raise the puppies until they are about 15 months old before returning them to Guide Dogs for the Blind for formal guide dog training, said Karen Woon, a spokeswoman for the organization. When the dogs are ready, they will serve visually impaired people, Woon said.

"We have a very elaborate puppy training handbook, and we also have club leaders who help the club members through the process," Woon said. "The puppy raisers teach basic obedience and good manners, helping the puppies become socialized to the world. These dogs will go everywhere with their visually impaired handlers, so they need to be socialized to different situations and people."

Ellefson is raising her third puppy for Guide Dogs for the Blind. She said she spends about two hours training the dogs each day and reinforces their training around the clock.

"It's really kind of amazing to see what they do," said Ellefson, a senior at Manteca High School. "If you go to the graduations, they do demonstrations, and it's really mind-blowing that this dog can change a person's life for years and years to come. To know that you've been a part of it is amazing."

Ellefson raises the puppies with help from her mother, Donna Ellefson.

"We initially volunteered because Katie saw demonstrations in school and we thought this would be a good way to have a puppy, give back to the community and raise it for a better purpose," she said. "We enjoy the experience of raising the puppies and teaching them the basic obedience."

Guide Dogs for the Blind trains about 900 dogs each year, Woon said. The organization offers volunteers a comprehensive puppy raising manual as well as organized training and socialization techniques. Training and veterinary care costs are covered by Guide Dogs for the Blind, Woon said.

Anyone interested in raising puppies can contact Guide Dogs for the Blind, (800) 295-4050. Additional information is available at guidedogs.com.

Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog and on Twitter @Stockton911.